Racquets for intermediate player

F

Femed3

New User
I know this is a frequent topic on the forum, but i would really appreciate some help here.
First of all, i consider myself a 3.0/3.5 baseline player, ocasionaly going to the net, with a medium-full(not very often) stroke, medium-full swing speed, 5 ft 10 inches and 196pounds.

I would like some suggestions cuz i can't demo racquect and i wonder wich could fit me better.
Actually i play with a Head Ytk IG Radical MP, but sometimes its hard to find pace and lots of spin with the 18x20 pattern. By the other hand, i got a PDGT that i think its too powerfull sometimes.

Should i change the IG Radical MP for the PRO version? (a little more weight and open pattern?)
I was also thinking about the PRINCE EXO3 REBEL 98, VOLKL Organix 10 (295) and Organix 8 (too powerfull?), DUNLOP BM 500 tour...
I'm trying to stay off stiff racquets because of a recently muscular distension on my shoulder.
Other suggestions are welcome!

Thanks
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Lower YT string tension, increase PD string tension.
PD will hurt you more.
Swing fast and long for power.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Femed3 said:
I know this is a frequent topic on the forum, but i would really appreciate some help here.
First of all, i consider myself a 3.0/3.5 baseline player, ocasionaly going to the net, with a medium-full(not very often) stroke, medium-full swing speed, 5 ft 10 inches and 196pounds.

I would like some suggestions cuz i can't demo racquect and i wonder wich could fit me better.
Actually i play with a Head Ytk IG Radical MP, but sometimes its hard to find pace and lots of spin with the 18x20 pattern. By the other hand, i got a PDGT that i think its too powerfull sometimes.

Should i change the IG Radical MP for the PRO version? (a little more weight and open pattern?)
I was also thinking about the PRINCE EXO3 REBEL 98, VOLKL Organix 10 (295) and Organix 8 (too powerfull?), DUNLOP BM 500 tour...
I'm trying to stay off stiff racquets because of a recently muscular distension on my shoulder.
Other suggestions are welcome!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Big factor will be the strings. What do you use?
 
prjacobs

prjacobs

Hall of Fame
I've have both the MG Rad mid plus and the dunlop 4D 500 tour. They are completely different frames. The dunlop was a real departure for me, coming back to the game after many years off. I played really well with it but it hurt my shoulder. (I'd played for 20 years with no shoulder issues until then). The bio version is listed as more flexible than the 4D version, but I wouldn't go there with shoulder issues. I also think the PDGT will end up being too stiff for you.Without being able to demo I think going to the Rad pro makes the most sense. A 16 X 19 pattern will give you more spin and a more lively feel. Also less pinpoint control :) . Good luck.
 
D

Drew24

New User
Why no use lead tape to your favorite frame thus far? And if you were to place them correctly suiting your game, it'd make you better and have more confidence!
 
T

TennisCJC

Legend
I play the volkl o10 295 customized to 12 oz and think it is a great racket. You might want to give it a shot.

Also, the Dunlop bio 300 (not the tour version) looks promising. I have demo-ed the new one but have demo the last 2 models and it is an excellent racket. They went up a bit in SW to 318 on the new model with a 98" head and 16x19 pattern. Sounds like it might be just what you are looking for.
 
F

Femed3

New User
TennisCJC said:
I play the volkl o10 295 customized to 12 oz and think it is a great racket. You might want to give it a shot.

Also, the Dunlop bio 300 (not the tour version) looks promising. I have demo-ed the new one but have demo the last 2 models and it is an excellent racket. They went up a bit in SW to 318 on the new model with a 98" head and 16x19 pattern. Sounds like it might be just what you are looking for.
Click to expand...

After watching the TW review of Organix 10 i don't know if this low power they say it has may be able to suit me.

About the M 3.0, i got afraid of the 66 stiffness and my shoulder healing process

Do you guys think the IG Radical Pro will be too powerfull (cuz of the SW of 330) as the PDGT? I'm really thinking about giving it a shot
 
albatros_forehand

albatros_forehand

Professional
Would probably stay out of IGRP if I were you, its a good stick but probably more suited for advanced players, too much power, might feel sluggish if you dont prepare ur shot right. Look for smth more forgiving..
 
F

Femed3

New User
albatros_forehand said:
Would probably stay out of IGRP if I were you, its a good stick but probably more suited for advanced players, too much power, might feel sluggish if you dont prepare ur shot right. Look for smth more forgiving..
Click to expand...

Which ones do u consider more forgiving? What can u suggest me?
 
S

Slippery

New User
I just picked up the 4D 300 and really like it. Played with the rebel 95 for a bit which I liked aswell, but was a tad heavy for my liking, so I made the switch and am glad I did, good price too.
 
F

Femed3

New User
Slippery said:
I just picked up the 4D 300 and really like it. Played with the rebel 95 for a bit which I liked aswell, but was a tad heavy for my liking, so I made the switch and am glad I did, good price too.
Click to expand...

The 4d 300 on paper looks like my IG midplus in weight, Sw, and the tight string pattern.. if this is the way to go, i think its better just buy 1 more IG istead of 2 4d's. The new ones of the line (Bm 300 seems low powered, and the m 3.0 seems unstable with a small SS, says the TW reviews)
 
S

Slippery

New User
The 4D 300 has the open pattern at 10.9 which gives room for a little added weight if needed. I think the 300 tour has the tight pattern. I wanted the 500 tour but the stiffness rating was a little high. Good luck with your choice
 
F

Femed3

New User
Slippery said:
The 4D 300 has the open pattern at 10.9 which gives room for a little added weight if needed. I think the 300 tour has the tight pattern. I wanted the 500 tour but the stiffness rating was a little high. Good luck with your choice
Click to expand...

My mistake, sry, i was looking at the tour version
 
F

Femed3

New User
What u guys think of the IG Speed 300? looking at the specs and customer reviews this one sounds like a good frame for me..
Maybe i'm going to give a shot for this frame and the Exo3 Rebel 98 to see if those fit me better
 
Chotobaka

Chotobaka

Hall of Fame
Femed3 said:
What u guys think of the IG Speed 300? looking at the specs and customer reviews this one sounds like a good frame for me..
Maybe i'm going to give a shot for this frame and the Exo3 Rebel 98 to see if those fit me better
Click to expand...

If you want to add pop and stay with Head I recommend the Extreme Pro 2.0 -- it is a very lively racquet. The IG Speed 300 had more power than my now departed Prestige MP, but it is still a racquet that delivers exactly what you put into it. It is also easy to generate spin with the Extreme Pro 2.0. It is a tad stiff but not uncomfortable by any means -- I just have a thing for felxier racquets these days. Very solid feeling racquet.
 
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F

Femed3

New User
Chotobaka said:
If you want to add pop and stay with Head I recommend the Radical Pro 2.0 -- it is a very lively racquet. The IG Speed 300 had more power than my now departed Prestige MP, but it is still a racquet that delivers exactly what you put into it. It is also easy to generate spin with the Radical Pro 2.0. It is a tad stiff but not uncomfortable by any means -- I just have a thing for felxier racquets these days. Very solid feeling racquet.
Click to expand...

By Radical Pro 2.0 u mean the IG version?
 
S

sunof tennis

Professional
Femed3 said:
Before getting hurt after overuse of the shoulder, i was using a weiss cannon turbotwist 52lbs (radical)
Click to expand...

If I am reading their ad correctly, this is a poly. If you are having arm problems, I wouldn't suggest using a poly. Most players at your level won't get much benefit from playing poly anyway.
I too would suggest adding weight to the Radical. Racquet plays better when customized.
If you switch away from poly to a multi, you will probably get more power without changing anything to your racquet.
 
F

Femed3

New User
Chotobaka said:
Sorry for the brain fart but I mean to say "Extreme Pro 2.0" -- the newest version. I forgot to mention how big the sweet-spot seemed to me. It was a fun demo for me.
Click to expand...

Got ur point.. I'm just afraid of the weight, stiffness and power this racquet seems to have.. As my technique still need some improvement i dont know if i'm able to handle this one without "sailing" too much the balls
 
Chotobaka

Chotobaka

Hall of Fame
Femed3 said:
Got ur point.. I'm just afraid of the weight, stiffness and power this racquet seems to have.. As my technique still need some improvement i dont know if i'm able to handle this one without "sailing" too much the balls
Click to expand...

It swings very easily -- much easier than the static weight would indicate (the Pro swing-weight is actually less than the MP). The only time the ball sailed for me was entirely attributed to "user error". Once I got used to it, all it took was a nice smooth and easy swing -- no worries about having to generate power on my own. After playing with my Pacifics it did take a bit of adjusting to the Extreme Pro but once dialed in I found it to be a super easy racquet to play with, I could get away being lazy with this one.

To your point regarding the stiffness, this was a big difference between it and the Pacifics -- but still nowhere near as firm as my Tecnifibre sticks. I am going to demo again for an extended period to see if I can live with the stiffness level, in which case this would be nice to have in the bag for those times I am running on empty.
 
F

Femed3

New User
Chotobaka said:
It swings very easily -- much easier than the static weight would indicate (the Pro swing-weight is actually less than the MP). The only time the ball sailed for me was entirely attributed to "user error". Once I got used to it, all it took was a nice smooth and easy swing -- no worries about having to generate power on my own. After playing with my Pacifics it did take a bit of adjusting to the Extreme Pro but once dialed in I found it to be a super easy racquet to play with, I could get away being lazy with this one.

To your point regarding the stiffness, this was a big difference between it and the Pacifics -- but still nowhere near as firm as my Tecnifibre sticks. I am going to demo again for an extended period to see if I can live with the stiffness level, in which case this would be nice to have in the bag for those times I am running on empty.
Click to expand...

What was ur string setup on this test?
 
Chotobaka

Chotobaka

Hall of Fame
Femed3 said:
What was ur string setup on this test?
Click to expand...

It was a friend's racquet -- he used Snakebite mains and syn-gut crosses. I did not pay attention to the crosses -- maybe Gosen as he is incredibly cheap. :) I believe I could easily come up with a much better playing hybrid or full poly set. I am thinking full Black Magic will work well on this one. For my taste, I would not go with a crunchy poly, so no Blue Gear, Spiky Shark or Tour Bite. In addition to BM, I think TCS, TCS Rapid or Polyfiber Energy could feel right to me. I have a local shop that will let me demo an unstrung racquet, so I will be able to play around with strings. I will also try this with a multl, maybe something like Multi-Feel.
 
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F

Femed3

New User
Drew24 said:
Why no use lead tape to your favorite frame thus far? And if you were to place them correctly suiting your game, it'd make you better and have more confidence!
Click to expand...

The problem is: i dont have a favorite frame.. i just played with those 2 frames that i own, i really dont know what suits me better :/
 
F

Femed3

New User
If i go for a heavier stick (static weight) and not so stiff (because of my shoulder), can i get more pace than with my Radical?
In this case, a higher or lower SW will be better?
 
F

Femed3

New User
Someone already tried one of the following racquets? :
- Warrior Prince exo3 100
- Pure Storm GT
- Yonex Ezone Xi 100
- Bio 500 tour

According to TW, those are similar rackets .. despite large differences in stiffness ..

What is your opinion about the comfort, power, control and similarity between them?

It is worthwhile to buy and try one of these?

I've been seeing that the Becker London are on the promotion for $ 79 .. Worth the test? and by test i mean buying it, as i dont live in the US and can't demo them
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Every racket you've mentioned is fine. The pure storm is a light players racket and the rest are arguably tweeners except idk about the yonex. More flex= more comfort and less power. Control depends on your stroke style attributed with each racket. However, there is not much of a difference. Biggest factor will be how each swings and feels on ball impact. That is what you should base it from. Time to demo!
 
F

Femed3

New User
MikeHitsHard93 said:
Every racket you've mentioned is fine. The pure storm is a light players racket and the rest are arguably tweeners except idk about the yonex. More flex= more comfort and less power. Control depends on your stroke style attributed with each racket. However, there is not much of a difference. Biggest factor will be how each swings and feels on ball impact. That is what you should base it from. Time to demo!
Click to expand...

That's exactly my problem! i can't demo. Here in brazil is hard to find places with demo programs. Also i dont have enough time to demo them since my parents are going to the US next week.. I'm gonna buy a couple of racquets based on reviews and advices of u guys..
 
F

Femed3

New User
MikeHitsHard93 said:
Cool tell us how they go for you :D what string did you get??
Click to expand...

As soon as my parents bring those to me, which means only next week and my shoulder heals, i'll write down my first impressions.
With those i bought: solinco tour bite 17G
Volkl CYCLONE 18G
BIG HITTER BLACK 7 17G
Can't go with too stiff polys and those seems to give some nice spin acording to TW university.
 
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